A Woman of Influence

Exploring the Role(s) of Apphia in Paul’s Appeal to Philemon

Bibliographic Data

ID21447240
AuthorsRobin G Thompson (0000-0003-4849-3580, Grand Canyon Theological Seminary & Grand Canyon University, USA, corresponding author)
Year2026
Publication date2026-06-28
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal for the Study of the New Testament (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0142-064X • E-ISSN: 1745-5294
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0142064x261453925
OpenAlexW7166579942
LanguageEN
References cited18

Paul includes Apphia as a recipient in his letter to Philemon. He addresses her as ‘the sister’ but gives no further indication of her role. While scholars have often assumed that Apphia is Philemon’s wife, a close reading of the text points away from this designation. This article explores other roles Apphia might have had by examining the roles and occupations women had in the first-century Mediterranean world. It then uses historical imagination to describe three roles Apphia could have had within her cultural context. These roles help to demonstrate why Paul would include her as a recipient and find in her a valuable ally in his appeal on behalf of Onesimus

Appeal · Appeal to emotion · Close reading · Reading (process) · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · European Law and Migration · Polish Legal and Social Issues

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